Fitness

Are you considering using anabolic steroids? This may be a very bad move for those in addiction recovery.

We all carry the hormone testosterone. Anabolic, steroids are artificial versions attempting to replicate the effect of the natural hormone. When used in a fitness regimen the purpose is generally to grow muscles faster which is a side effect of bringing out increased male sexual traits.

Unfortunately, these steroids have other unpleasant and possibly dangerous effects for addict in recovery. They actually cause changes in the structure, function, and chemistry of both the brain and body. Not all these changes are good.

Do You Really Gain Strength In The Body By Taking Anabolic Steroids?

It is common knowledge that amateur and professional athletes seeking an edge will use anabolic steroids to gain strength and size. While they may gain the appearance of getting bigger, anabolic steroids can weaken the body on the inside.

Some of the negative physical effects are:

Weakening the immune system.

Increase in acne.

Kidney problems, liver problems.

An enlarged heart and high blood pressure.

It seems ther is a huge trade off – you can look and appear bigger on the outside but be doing unknown and unseen damage on the inside of your body. For even more information Click on this: Anabolic Steroid Abuse: Substance Abuse Treatment Advisory (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Srvices Administration).

Negative Brain Changes From Drug Addiction And Anabolic Steroids

Anabolic steroids act on the limbic system in the brain. This is really a big deal because this is the part of the brain that regulates learning, memory, and it also regulates changes in mood. Almost everybody has heard of Roid rage; they can stimulate aggressive behavior.

For a drug addict in recovery one of the essential long-term sobriety skills and lifestyle changes needed to succeed is to learn to identify, own, regulate, and process uncomfortable emotions without regressing to the quick fix of pills or drugs. People using anabolic steroids could be keeping alive the addict mentality if 1 is good 5 is way better.This is a trigger and a threat to living sober.

Even More Negative Effects of Anabolic Steroids

Testosterone production is controlled by the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus helps control appetite, blood pressure, moods, and reproductive ability. Anabolic steroids can change the messages the hypothalamus sends to the body. This can disrupt normal hormone function.

In guys, anabolic steroids can interfere with the normal production of testosterone. They can also act directly on the testes and cause them to shrink. This can result in a lower sperm count and reproductive ability. They can also cause an irreversible loss of scalp hair.

In girls, anabolic steroids can cause a loss of the monthly period by acting on both the hypothalamus and reproductive organs. They can also cause loss of scalp hair, growth of body and facial hair and deepening of the voice. These changes are also irreversible.